Review – Alex Steinherr for Primark Maximum Moisture Supreme Sheet Mask

I’ve already done an intro on the Alex Steinherr skincare range for Primark so you’ll already know the basics.  However, I was keen to get down to the nitty gritty of the range. Which is how I ended up at the Oxford Street Primark at 8am on a Monday, baby in tow, and ready to empty the shelves of the Alex Steinherr for Primark Maximum Moisture Supreme Sheet Mask – which is reputedly the jewel of the range.

In my early 20s it was ok to mask once in a blue moon. Now I’m fighting the good fight day in and day out. I hoped that the moisture supreme mask would be just the right hook I needed to erase 18-months of fatigue and sleepless nights.

Maximum Moisture Supreme Sheet Mask by Alex Steinherr – Review

What they say…

“The Supreme Sheet Mask gives a powerful hydration surge and immediate skin barrier support. Loaded with glycerin, amino acid, lotus flower extract, its innovative texture holds the essence 12 times better than a regular fibre mask.”

The Maximum Moisture Sheet Mask – What’s Really In It?

This main ingredient in this face mask is the humble workhorse of skin care moisturisers – glycerin. Glycerin is a humectant meaning that it traps moisture in the skin providing long lasting hydration.

An impressive study on Glycerin was done by Appa on 394 patients with extremely dry skin. When 16 moisturizers were tested against two high-glycerin creams over a five-year period, the glycerin won hands down. Using glycerin resulted in an increased thickness of the corneocytes and an improvement in skin hydration. My corneocytes need all the help they can get, so I was sold.

On application the mask felt pleasantly cool. The body of the mask itself has a “unique texture” and is composed with special fibre which help it cling on to the face rather than sliding off. Like the rest of the range, the mask does not contain fragrance – the rationale being, that fragrance is potentially irritating. Alex is big on minimising irritation and ensuring that her skin care routine respects the skin’s moisture barrier.

Which is why I was very surprised by how irritating I found this mask. On application, I started to feel a prickling sensation, which I hoped would abate. After all, the one thing the product isn’t meant to do is cause irritation. It wasn’t bad. But it was definitely there.

On removing the mask, my skin was noticeably red and quite uncomfortable. A quick look at the ingredients list reveals Dipropylene Glycol as the fourth ingredient. Although used commonly in cosmetics, it is known to have irritant properties for skin – but is usually ok in low concentrations. So is my skin just sensitive to this particular ingredient?

Well, luckily I had a very willing guinea pig in the form of my trusted nail technician, Emma Robyn. So I gave her one of the masks to take home and try at her leisure… the response;

“Hmm.. the mask felt a bit tingly on me too. Have just removed it and don’t see much of a change”

Obviously, skin care cannot be all things to all people. But, personally, I just do not feel this mask delivered.  My final bugbear is that it contains dimethicone – a silicone oil to smooth, even texture and fill lines.  Now again, I am not a natural-mama and don’t forgo deodorant in favour of baking soda as a matter of course. My real problem with silicones in skin care is that their effect is largely cosmetic (and temporary). And whilst this may be ok in a makeup base to prep the skin – it’s not ideal when trying to improve skin texture or quality in a meaningful way.

Rating – 2/5